Rose Lavelle's return not enough as Gotham FC falls to Kansas City Current
Rose is back
From her ankle boo-boo
The rain fell down
Advertisement
And Gotham did, too.
The return of star midfielder Rose Lavelle, meant to spark Gotham during a patchy run of league form, instead provided just a silver lining on a gray and rainy Saturday afternoon during a 2-1 home loss to the Kansas City Current.
5 Gotham FC midfielder Rose Lavelle (16) tries to get past Kansas City Current midfielder Claire Hutton (14) during the second half at Sports Illustrated Stadium on June 7, 2025.
John Jones-Imagn Images
Advertisement
5 Gotham FC midfielder Nealy Martin (14) controls the ball as Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga (6) defends during the first half at Sports Illustrated Stadium.
John Jones-Imagn Images
It was the first appearance for Lavelle — the fan favorite who had been sidelined from Gotham (3W-3D-5L) and the U.S. women's national team following offseason ankle surgery — since Nov. 16.
'All the hard work she's put in with the medical team, the high-performance team, the coaches, has been amazing, but especially her,' Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amorós said this week. 'We can see her finally with her teammates, where she belongs, doing what she loves — which is playing for her team, for Gotham in front of our fans.'
The cheers for Lavelle started in the 31st minute when she rose from the substitutes' bench to begin warming up beyond the goal line.
Advertisement
5 Kansas City Current forward Michelle Cooper (17) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against NJ/NY Gotham FC during the first half at Sports Illustrated Stadium.
John Jones-Imagn Images
At halftime, she shared a hug with Liberty counterpart Breanna Stewart, who joined the crowd at what's now known as Sports Illustrated Stadium for the team's annual Pride match.
Lavelle entered in the 74th minute to a sustained round of applause, and wasted little time getting on the ball and showcasing her trademark saucy dribbling. Minutes later, she sent a left-footed shot just wide of the top corner.
She also applied the pressure that led to a Current own goal deep into stoppage time.
Advertisement
The day of mixed emotions ended with the ceremonial presentation of the CONCACAF W Champions Cup, the regional club title Gotham won last month, further underscoring where the team is caught at the moment.
5 NJ/NY Gotham FC forward Margaret Purce (23) is given assistance from the pitch after an injury during the second half against the Kansas City Current at Sports Illustrated Stadium.
John Jones-Imagn Images
There's another trophy to be proud of and show off, affirming the club's ambitions to be relevant on an international level.
At the same time, there's the reality of the standings: Last year's NWSL semifinalists finished the afternoon in ninth place, outside of playoff position, and faced the prospect of sinking as low as 12th (out of 14) by the end of the weekend.
They are winless in their past four NWSL matches (0-1-3), a stretch dating back six weeks to an April 26 victory over the Washington Spirit.
They have scored just 13 goals in 11 games, despite a wealth of attacking options, and have a goal differential of plus-1.
Kansas City (9-0-2) is the best team in the league and quickly showed why.
Gotham conceded in the third minute off a giveaway by Emily Sonnett, allowing Temwa Chawinga to spring Michelle Cooper for a quick strike. The visitors doubled their lead in the 11th minute on a blink-of-an-eye move up the right side, this time Chawinga converting off a cross from Cooper.
Advertisement
5 NJ/NY Gotham FC forward Geyse (10) moves the ball past Kansas City Current midfielder Claire Hutton (14) during the second half at Sports Illustrated Stadium.
John Jones-Imagn Images
Gotham twice appeared to have pulled one back in the second half, only for both goals to be disallowed. In the 49th minute, Sonnett headed in Sarah Schupansky's corner kick, but Sonnett was whistled for a foul on the set piece.
In the 63rd minute, Esther González was judged to be offside after collecting a loose ball in the box and slotting home what would have been her league-leading eighth goal of the season.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Pro. Women's Soccer Team in Mass. Reveals New Club Brand
A new era of professional women's soccer continues to take shape in Massachusetts as the Boston Legacy Football Club unveiled the club brand this weekend. After a five-month design process led by graphic designer Matthew Wolff, the team revealed its new black, white, and green-colored crest to the public Saturday through an interactive event for fans on the Boston Common. The crest consists of a green shield, a white, stylized swan, and the word 'Boston' in black letters. Advertisement Boston Legacy FC Controlling Manager Jennifer Epstein said the swan, as the central symbol of the crest, seemed 'very appropriate to represent the values of our club, which are inclusivity, belonging, grit, and style.' The swan has eight feathers, the total number of teams that originally played in the National Women's Soccer League, including the Boston Breakers, which played its final soccer matches in 2017. The angle of the feathers is also a nod to the cables on the Leonard Zakim Bridge, an iconic piece of infrastructure in Boston. 'The crest in my mind is really the link between the city, and the fans, and the athletes,' said Stephanie Connaughton, one of Boston Legacy's co-founders and managing owners. The founders told Boston 25 News that it's now up to the fans to infuse meaning into the crest as a new generation of female athletes shines in the Bay State. Advertisement 'It is a new era in women's sports. You can see the excitement, the passion all across our country, and really, the world,' said Epstein. 'We are going to make sure that we are going to bring championships home to our fans,' said Ami Kuan Danoff, one of the club's founding partners. The Boston Legacy FC will start playing in the National Women's Soccer League in 2026. Home games will be played at Gillette Stadium for the first year, but by 2027, games will be played at the new White Stadium. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
New York Times
5 hours ago
- New York Times
Rose Lavelle returns but KC Current hand Gotham FC third straight loss
The Kansas City Current beat hosts Gotham FC 2-1 in a rain-soaked, high-drama Saturday afternoon matchup that saw the return of Gotham's preternatural midfielder Rose Lavelle. The U.S. women's national team star had been out with an ankle injury for the past six months and was involved in the Current's own goal that put Gotham on the board. Advertisement 'It was a long recovery, long rehab process, and it's definitely still a journey,' said Lavelle, who subbed on in the 74th minute and immediately injected much-needed panache into Gotham's efforts. The 30-year-old Cincinnati native revealed that her ankle surgery was the first time she'd undergone a medical procedure in her career. 'I definitely was a little naive to what that entailed, so it was definitely a lot harder than I anticipated,' she said, though she maintained the timeline of her return was 'what it was expected to be.' Lavelle credited Gotham's medical staff and the USWNT, saying they coordinated with her club and were 'staying connected and keeping in touch with how I've been feeling.' The Current, semifinalists last season in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), remain at the top of the table and pounced on Gotham early. Michelle Cooper tallied a goal in the third minute with a tidy finish that resulted from a relentless Current press against their opponent's backline. Cooper was assisted by Malawian striker and 2024 Golden Boot winner and MVP Tabitha Chawinga — and in the 11th minute, the forwards returned the favors when Chawinga received a first-time cross from Cooper and dribbled around Gotham goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger to slot home the Current's second goal. 72' | Making her return… 🔛 Rose Lavelle↩️ Taryn Torres — Gotham FC (@GothamFC) June 7, 2025 Gotham, who recently won the inaugural Concacaf W Champions Cup in Monterrey, Mexico, and were 2023 NWSL Champions, now have three consecutive league losses. The game was pockmarked with controversial calls by the official, which included two Gotham goals that were called back. Defender Emily Sonnett's header off a corner kick was ruled out due to a foul Sonnett committed in the lead-up to the goal. Later, Spanish striker Esther González stole a stray clearance and scored, but due to an earlier offside ruling, that goal was disallowed. Advertisement Potentially adding to Gotham's longer-term concerns were the injuries of forwards Midge Purce and Ella Stevens, who both had to be subbed off during the game. Speaking to the media after the match, Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amorós pointed out the contrasting emotions, from the frustrations and misfortunes on the field to the club's trophy ceremony for its Concacaf Champions Cup victory held at the end of the match and to Lavelle's return. 'The talent that she has is very different to everyone else,' he said. 'I think the profile of Rose Lavelle is probably the most rare to find, when it's a player that can do basically everything at such a high level, and then on top of that, she does special things on the ball.' Gotham midfielder Nealy Martin detailed some of the less visible contributions Lavelle has made to the team while working her way back onto the field. 'She's been such a positive force in the locker room. Every day she comes in and she's there before us and stays after us working to get her ankle back to full health, so this was really awesome to see her out there and actually see all of her progress come to fruition,' Martin said. 'We're excited for the talent she brings to the team, but also the leader and the teammate she's been off the field when things are against her — and it's not easy, you're pretty isolated when you're returning to play — speaks for itself. She's an incredible human.' Lavelle acknowledged the shift in her role on the team and the newer experiences she intends to nourish. 'Anytime you spend time away from the game, I always find some silver lining in it,' she said. This time around, she found it in 'learning how to be a teammate when I can't be on the field, staying present, still having a voice and helping people where I can. 'I hadn't gotten to play with Geyse yet,' Lavelle said of the Brazilian striker who joined Gotham on loan from Manchester United in March. 'That was the first game I got to play with her and it was really fun, so I'm excited to keep building on that relationship and then build on the prior relationships that I had with people last year. I think it is a really exciting group, and I think once we start getting into a rhythm, I think it's gonna be really, really fun.'
New York Post
7 hours ago
- New York Post
Rose Lavelle's return not enough as Gotham FC falls to Kansas City Current
Rose is back From her ankle boo-boo The rain fell down Advertisement And Gotham did, too. The return of star midfielder Rose Lavelle, meant to spark Gotham during a patchy run of league form, instead provided just a silver lining on a gray and rainy Saturday afternoon during a 2-1 home loss to the Kansas City Current. 5 Gotham FC midfielder Rose Lavelle (16) tries to get past Kansas City Current midfielder Claire Hutton (14) during the second half at Sports Illustrated Stadium on June 7, 2025. John Jones-Imagn Images Advertisement 5 Gotham FC midfielder Nealy Martin (14) controls the ball as Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga (6) defends during the first half at Sports Illustrated Stadium. John Jones-Imagn Images It was the first appearance for Lavelle — the fan favorite who had been sidelined from Gotham (3W-3D-5L) and the U.S. women's national team following offseason ankle surgery — since Nov. 16. 'All the hard work she's put in with the medical team, the high-performance team, the coaches, has been amazing, but especially her,' Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amorós said this week. 'We can see her finally with her teammates, where she belongs, doing what she loves — which is playing for her team, for Gotham in front of our fans.' The cheers for Lavelle started in the 31st minute when she rose from the substitutes' bench to begin warming up beyond the goal line. Advertisement 5 Kansas City Current forward Michelle Cooper (17) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against NJ/NY Gotham FC during the first half at Sports Illustrated Stadium. John Jones-Imagn Images At halftime, she shared a hug with Liberty counterpart Breanna Stewart, who joined the crowd at what's now known as Sports Illustrated Stadium for the team's annual Pride match. Lavelle entered in the 74th minute to a sustained round of applause, and wasted little time getting on the ball and showcasing her trademark saucy dribbling. Minutes later, she sent a left-footed shot just wide of the top corner. She also applied the pressure that led to a Current own goal deep into stoppage time. Advertisement The day of mixed emotions ended with the ceremonial presentation of the CONCACAF W Champions Cup, the regional club title Gotham won last month, further underscoring where the team is caught at the moment. 5 NJ/NY Gotham FC forward Margaret Purce (23) is given assistance from the pitch after an injury during the second half against the Kansas City Current at Sports Illustrated Stadium. John Jones-Imagn Images There's another trophy to be proud of and show off, affirming the club's ambitions to be relevant on an international level. At the same time, there's the reality of the standings: Last year's NWSL semifinalists finished the afternoon in ninth place, outside of playoff position, and faced the prospect of sinking as low as 12th (out of 14) by the end of the weekend. They are winless in their past four NWSL matches (0-1-3), a stretch dating back six weeks to an April 26 victory over the Washington Spirit. They have scored just 13 goals in 11 games, despite a wealth of attacking options, and have a goal differential of plus-1. Kansas City (9-0-2) is the best team in the league and quickly showed why. Gotham conceded in the third minute off a giveaway by Emily Sonnett, allowing Temwa Chawinga to spring Michelle Cooper for a quick strike. The visitors doubled their lead in the 11th minute on a blink-of-an-eye move up the right side, this time Chawinga converting off a cross from Cooper. Advertisement 5 NJ/NY Gotham FC forward Geyse (10) moves the ball past Kansas City Current midfielder Claire Hutton (14) during the second half at Sports Illustrated Stadium. John Jones-Imagn Images Gotham twice appeared to have pulled one back in the second half, only for both goals to be disallowed. In the 49th minute, Sonnett headed in Sarah Schupansky's corner kick, but Sonnett was whistled for a foul on the set piece. In the 63rd minute, Esther González was judged to be offside after collecting a loose ball in the box and slotting home what would have been her league-leading eighth goal of the season.
